Oven Baked Curry Fries With A Tikka Masala Sauce

I’ve been delving into Indian cooking with increasing frequency as of late. I don’t know if it’s my admiration for a generous use of tomatoes, or my love of their frequent creamy-spicy flavor combination, but I simply can’t get enough of it these days. There’s just such an amazing array of spices and flavors in their cooking that traditional western cuisine doesn’t have. So when McCormick approached me to develop a recipe for their Modern Masala program, I could not have been more on board (I believe my exact thought process was ‘ohmergod YES.’) Modern Masala refers to an aspect of their 2014 Flavor Forecast that expects Indian cooking to go beyond traditional eastern dishes, with Indian flavors being infused into new and modern culinary scenes. Jafrezi is a great example of this; it’s a heavily spiced curry dish that is stir-fried in oil so it’s more paste-like in texture than the more water and cream-based Indian curries we’re used to seeing in the west. This dish is slowly but surely spreading outside of its current realms of popularity in Pakistan, the UK, and India and making its way through North America and western Europe. While I was tempted to make it for this post, I decided to do an Indian fusion dish, and drew my inspiration from the Canadian favorite, poutine.

Poutine is basically french fries covered in a gravy-like sauce and topped with cheese curds (I’ve been wanting to make actual poutine for a while but have yet to find readily available cheese curds). I decided to make it a bit healthier by baking the fries in the oven and coating them in a McCormick curry powder-olive oil base to get them nice and crispy on the outside. And instead of covering it with gravy, I made a tikka masala sauce and poured it over the top. Tikka masala is a creamy tomato-based sauce that is essentially the ideal tomato soup, but taken to the max with spiced flavor and with a splash of cream tossed in for good measure. And to keep the cheesy poutine vibe going, I topped it all off with paneer cheese crumbles. The result was the ultimate Indian-fusion comfort food, the crispy french fries tasted fantastic covered with the thick and tangy tikka masala, and the creamy and soft paneer cheese bits just rounded out the whole flavor-texture situation. Honestly, this was the best appetizer I’ve made in years. So much flavor, relatively easy to put together, and aside from the cream in the tikka masala sauce, it’s pretty healthy.

The folks at McCormick were kind enough to put together a little giveaway, too! To enter, share your own unique flavor story by commenting on this post using the hashtag #flavorstory and be entered for a chance to win a McCormick Anniversary Edition Product. The giveaway ends May 9th and the gift package includes exclusive McCormick spice products, a McCormick recipe book, and a branded canvas tote – all valued at $50. For every story shared on any of McCormick’s brand websites or socialchannels, McCormick will donate $1, up to $1.25 million, to United Way to help feed those in need. So keep those entries coming, folks!

Instructions

First, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter with the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, and red curry powder and toast for 4 minutes, stirring every minute. Add the tomatoes, water, and salt and allow to simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remve the mixture from heat, puree it in a blender or food processor, and pour it back into the pot. Stir in the cream until incorporated and then cover and keep warm until serving time.

To prepare the fries, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss all of the ingredients except the paneer together and spread them out in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden around the edges and crispy. Remove and allow to cool slightly, then transfer them to the serving plate. Cover them with the tikka masala sauce and top with the fresh cilantro and paneer cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Disclaimer: I was compensated by McCormick for this post, but all opinions & recipes are my own, per usual!

Discussion

I can only imagine what a bundle of deliciousness you must have brought back with you! My friend recently went to Israel on his birthright trip and he couldn't stop talking about how amazing all the food was. It's definitely on my foodie travel list!

I actually grew up on McCormick spices. Most of my holidays were spent in my great grandmas' kitchen, making teeth-shattering peanut brittles, lard-laden pies, and wonderfully spicy cookies. Even at her oldest, 103 years, I remember my grandma using McCormick salt; shaking enough salt on her vegetables to soak up the seven seas.

I now use them on a daily basis. Their pretty vintage bottles line my shelves, and their flavors take every new dish to the next level. Collecting them is almost a sick and spicy obsession, what with their huge variety. I love being introduced to the new flavors in such a high-quality style.

The first time I tasted Garam Masala was when I mistook it for cinnamon among my many, many spice bottles, and ended up making Maple Syrup Masala Oatmeal. A big mistake, but a delicious one. As for this sauce, I could definitely see myself making it over and over again, to use on not just fries but all my favorite Indian foods. (Which just happens to be, like, all of them.)

I feel the same way about them, my mom always used them even thought the McCormick gourmet bottles are just gorgeous, I still love the old-fashioned red and white tin black pepper containers the most. It's really nice that they still have a throwback to their old spice containers 🙂 And the quality of their spices just can't be beat.

Your garam masala mistake sounds like a delicious one, indeed!! That is probably my favorite spice blend of theirs, I discovered it in high school and just started putting it in everything, sweet and savory. It's amazing how versatile it is and how well it works with so many different kinds of dishes!

Thank you for sharing your story, Meghan, I really loved reading through it and hearing you talk about your grandma and her cooking. I hope to still be cooking in the kitchen at 103, too 🙂

The sauce in this recipe sounds delish. I could see myself using it on rice or another grain. I've never baked french fries, though I'm not sure why. I bake baby potatoes with herbs and spices all the time. I put herbs and spices on everything I cook to pump up the taste without the use of a lot of fat. #flavorstory

This recipe sound scrumptious. I love making French fries. I use spices and herbs all the time in my cooking and baking. I love how all the beautiful flavors and smells flow along to create a fabulous dish. #flavorstory

Looks amazing! Is there any non-dairy product that you think would adequately substitute for the cream?

My most memorable spice-experience was with a simple omelette. My parents had just bought a whole drawer of new spices, and we didn't have anything I wanted to put in an omelette, so I made a plain one with salt, pepper, and rosemary. When I bit into it, the rosemary was fresh and strong and perfect – and that's when I realized it really does pay to replace your spices frequently. #flavorstory

I love that you share your sources of inspiration! It makes the creative thought process seem more approachable to strict-recipe following types like me 🙂 When I go home, I eat AT LEAST one pound of cheese curds. There's a couple of dairies in Maine that make them, but I just can't go there. Also, we fry them (!!!) in Wisconsin. Best bar snack in existence.

On my first official date with my (now) husband, he took me to an Indian restaurant in a small town in upstate NY. Having eaten only authentic Indian while living in England during high school, I was skeptical. He ordered his favorites and we dug in — boy did he prove me wrong. It was the best meal I have ever had, and I remember that night so fondly (10 years later). #flavorstory